Ender
by SpeckleFish326
Summary: Ashley was born and raised underground, and she's sick of it. She decides to try to escape the tyranny by going to the Overworld. But is it as nice as she imagined? With the help of her Miner friends, a group of dragon riders (one of whom is hiding something), and a Hunter boy called Mitch, Ashley must face an ancient enemy. Will she survive? Rated T 'cause I'm paranoid.
1. Prologue

**Ender, Prologue**

Long ago, the nation of Minecraftia was proud and strong. It consisted of three groups of people; the Miners, the Hunters, and the Mystics. The Miners gathered rare materials from deep within the earth's mantle. The Hunters protected the nation from enemies and monsters, and farmed to generate food. The Mystics practiced magic, which powered the nation. The ruler of the Hunters was General Notch, and the Mystic's leader was Magister Herobrine. They were brothers, and with the Miner's leader, Chancellor Jeb, they ruled justly and fairly.

Herobrine was a hero to the Minecraftians. He had been the first to tame a dragon, and because of him all of the people could do that. Dragons were family pets, and protectors. They made life in Minecraftia much safer. Herobrine loved being the center of attention.

But Notch was jealous. He, _The _General Notch, was not to be outdone by his obnoxious little magic brother. So Notch created portals to two new dimensions, the Nether and the End. Attention immediateley turned to him, and Herobrine despised it.

Herobrine tried time and time again to outdo the Nether and the End, creating new creatures with his magic. But no one bothered with him anymore. Eventually, he decided to eliminate Notch, and Jeb as well, while he was at it. He would be the sole ruler of Minecraftia, and all would bow to him. His heart had turned dark.

Secretly, he began to experiment with his magic. He created a new dragon, ten times as big as the largest Aether dragon. He unleashed his creation upon the people of Minecraftia, one tribe at a time. The Mystics were terrorized first, for Herobrine was bitter towards his own people, and hated them for choosing Notch over him. The Mystics were almost totally wiped out by the Dragon.

Fearing for their own extinction, Jeb led his people into the Mines, where they barricaded themselves. None of the Miners were ever seen again. They were rumored to have created a society underground, but no one ever checked.

The Hunters, however, put up a fight. They were aided by the remaining Mystics. After a huge battle, Herobrine was slain. His former followers trapped his soul in a golden amulet with a purple amethyst in the center. The Dragon was tricked into the End, and the portal was sealed behind it. The Herobrinical War, as it was named, had been won. The Mystics decided to go far into the mountains, where their magic could not be used against them again. All of them left, except for an auburn-haired boy called Terrell, who was in love with Fern, a Hunter girl. He concealed his magic and stayed behind. It was said, but never proven, that their daughter had magic.

The Hunters became a self-sustaining society. They lived in tree-houses, and continued to train dragons. Herobrine's amulet was lost and forgotton.

All of this happened two hundred years ago.

Now, our story begins.

**So Yeah! Here's the prologue of **_**Ender**_**! Tomorrow, if all goes as planned, I will be upating Chapter One! I hope you guys enjoy this new story! Love ya lots! **

** ~Speckle 3**


	2. Chapter 1

**Ender, Chapter One**

The ground shook from explosions. Rocks tumbled from the walls of the cave. Pickaxes gleamed in the torchlight as the Miners hacked away at the stone. None of them were affected by the earthquakes, as TNT explosions were part of the job. One of the falling bits of rock hit a girl in the head. She stumbled, but did not fall.

One of these Miners was a girl with turquoise-blue eyes. Her face was smudged with coal dust. Her dark brown hair was tangled and dirty. Her uniform green dress was so dusty that it looked black. A red mark was coming on her cheek, where the supervisor of the mines had hit her. Some supervisors weren't bad, but Marcus, the one who hit the girl, was awful.

The girl hefted her iron pickaxe and slammed it into the stone. She was exhausted from hours of mining, but she dared not stop. Marcus would beat her if she stopped. Finally, the supervisor's voice rang out through the mineshaft. "That's all for today!" The blue-eyed girl followed the other laborers out of the mines, placing her pickaxe in a barrel as she passed.

She was followed out of the mines by two other teens; the brown-eyed girl that had been hit with a rock, and a brown-haired boy. They held hands, and whispered to each other. The boy gently inspected the bruise from the rock on the girl's head. "Come on," he said quietly. "Let's get you to Gabrielle."

The blue-eyed girl's name was Ashley, and it was all she owned in the world. The other two were two of Ashley's four friends total. Their names were Louise and Jerome, and they had started dating three months before. Her other friends were Gabrielle, the girl who ran the library, and Gabrielle's older brother Martin.

The three walked along a stone hallway. The hallway soon opened up into a large cavern with a high ceiling. This was the Town Square. The actual town was a series of caves and hollowed-out rooms, deep in the earth's mantle. None of the citizens had ever seen sunlight. Not for two hundred years.

They walked swiftly down the corridor, past several livid-looking guards. None of the three relaxed. The guards would find any reason to harm you, any reason at all.

But they relaxed when they got to the library. The library was a safe haven for them, because there Gabrielle protected them.

Gabrielle was not much to look at. She was five-foot-four and skinny, with her obsidian-black hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her neck. She had never mined a day in her life, and she was delicate. The only intimidating thing about her was her eyes, which were a pale, icy blue. When Gabrielle cast her gaze upon you, she pierced your soul. But Gabrielle's father was powerful. Although he was also abusive, to her and his son, the man had granted Gabrielle living quarters in the library. There, Gabrielle was queen, and she reigned gently. God help the man who misbehaved in her domain.

Ashley, Jerome, and Louise were met by Gabrielle at the library's entrance. She waited for them there every day. She ushered them to the back of the library, where there was a door. Beyond the door were Gabrielle's rooms. She had a small kitchen, and a bedroom. The bedroom was carpeted in green wool, which was incredibly expensive. The only furniture, besides the bed and the kitchen things, was a small granite table and two matching chairs.

Upon seeing the bruise on Louise's head, Gabrielle sat her in a chair. Jerome sat beside her, and Ashley leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Gabrielle wet a handkerchief with cool water from the well in the corner, and tenderly sponged Louise's head. The bruise faded slightly.

"How did you get this?" Gabrielle asked. "Did Marcus hit you?"

"No." said Louise, in the quiet way she always spoke. She took the cloth from Gabrielle's hand, and applied it to her head herself. "A rock fell from the ceiling. It hit my head."

"He hit Ashley though," Jerome said. He took Louise's hand. Ashley shifted uncomfortably. "I'm fine, Gabrielle," she said. "Really. I promise."

Gabrielle crossed the room anyway. She observed the slap mark on Ashley's cheek. "Can't do anything for that," she said. "It'll fade soon, though. God, if I was the Chancellor… Marcus would have been imprisoned the minute his hand moved."

That was when the screaming started.

Jerome was on his feet instantly, and he sprinted from the room. Louise followed, running quickly. Gabrielle and Ashley exchanged looks, and chased after their friends. The four burst through the lapis-and-gold doors at full speed. They ran to the Town Square, where the noise was coming from.

There was a girl who slept two beds down from Ashley in the girls' dormitory. Her name was Natara. Her skin was the dark color of rich coffee, and her hair was short and black. Natara was short, skinny, and frail, even more so than Gabrielle. Natara could barely lift a pickaxe, so she worked in the kitchens. She was timid, and had never hurt a fly. Much less killed a man.

And yet, there in the Square was Natara, standing over the body of a dead guard. She held a bloody diamond sword – the soldier had been killed with his own weapon. Natara was screaming hysterically, "I killed him! I _KILLED_ him!" She tuned, and saw Jerome, Gabrielle, Ashley and Louise staring open-mouthed at her.

"Lou!" she cried desperately, dropping the sword and running to Louise. "Lou, you have to help me! I killed him – the guard – but it wasn't me!" she grabbed Louise's shoulders and began to shake her. "I didn't mean to! Something was controlling me! Please, please help me!" Tears ran down her cheeks.

Many more people had gathered at the Square. Women screamed at the sight of the body on the floor. Chancellor Kramer – the ruler of the caves – had arrived on scene, along with dozens more guards.

Suddenly, Natara went rigid. She turned, and walked stiffly towards the Chancellor. Her mouth contorted into an evil smile.

Her deep brown irises disappeared, leaving her eyes totally white.

''You fool!" Natara screeched, but her voice was a man's voice. "You thought that by coming into your precious Mines, you could escape _ME?!_ Well, you cannot! Thanks to a foolish Hunter, I will soon rise again! I am coming for you," Natara swiveled, pointing at every Miner in turn. "And you all shall DIE!"

If the Chancellor was rattled, he didn't show it. He simply signaled one of the guards, and the soldiers surrounded Natara. She was laughing now, still in the man's voice. Three of the guards grabbed her shoulders and shoved her down, into the position for execution by beheading. A Guard raises his sword –

And Ashley closed her eyes, as Natara's laughter, and her life, was ended forever.

Louise cried afterwards. Jerome held her close to him, whispering comforting words. Ashley, despite her sadness over Natara's death, could not help wishing that someone loved _her _as much as Jerome loved Louise.

Soon, after the bodies were cleaned up, the bell rang. This signaled that it was time to get to bed. She and Louise bade their friends goodbye, and left for the girls' dormitory. Gabrielle went to her rooms, and Jerome walked away towards the boys' dorms. When they arrived, thirteen of the sixteen girls were already there. Ashley and Louise were fourteen and fifteen, and sixteen would have been Natara.

A few hours later, everyone was asleep. Ashley, however, wasn't. She had been thinking of the Thing that had taken over Natara, because she never would have killed anything of her own free will. Checking to be sure that she alone was awake, Ashley stole out of her bed to the empty one two beds down. The two girls she passed did not stir. Ashley knelt down by the empty bed, and did something she'd rarely done before – she prayed. She prayed for Natara's soul. And in that moment, Ashley realized something.

This Thing, the Thing that took over Natara, was after all of the Miners – it had said so itself. And she, Ashley, was a Miner. It was after _her_. Ashley decided then and there that she wouldn't come to an end like Natara's. If she had to abandon her entire world to do it, so be it. She hated this life anyways. As long as she and her friends were safe, she didn't care,

And so Ashley made a promise to herself. She would escape the godforsaken Mines and go to the surface. She'd read about the earth's surface in books, and she believed it was real. She vowed to get there before her seventeenth birthday, in nine and a half months.

And she vowed to die, on that day, if she didn't.

**Ooh, kinda intense! So yeah. Natara was created simply for me to kill her… I'm evil. Her name is actually Arabian, and it means 'sacrifice.'**

**So what did you think? Please PLEASE PLEASE review and tell me! Reviews cause chapters to not be posted not months apart! Any now, a list of people who I want to thank (I know it's early in the story to do this, but too bad)**

**My parents, for letting me steal the desktop computer for hours to type this. Especially Mom, for proofreading the prologue when Spellcheck broke. And my little sister Natalie, for making me print out copies of the chapters to read out loud to her. She recently tackled me to find out what happens in chapter six… hehe.**

**Sophia R, Lizzie P, and Abbie B, three of my authory friends, for dealing with me sending you updates whenever and giving me your honest opinions. And Sophie, double-thanks for forcing me to let you read everything before it goes up! Love you guys!**

**My sister's friend Kenny, because he bugs me at school to give him copies of the chapters so he can read them. Between him and Sophia, the pressure is so high that I get stuff done!**

**My old religion teacher, Mrs. Howe, for taking the manuscript of chapters 2-5 to the dentist and reading it there. Also my Memere (French for 'Grandma' for all you non-French Canadians), for reading this!**

**All of the YouTubers featured in this. Because you guys are just awesome.**

**FanFiction authors Sushilover8 and Lilypad009, for inspiring me to get an account. You guys are amazing!**

**Imagine dragons, for the awesome music that I listen to when I write.**

**All the cows, for making milk that I turn into chocolate milk that I drink while I write because it gives me ideas.**

**And anyone who bothered to read and review this story! You guys make me so happy every time I get an email that says 'New Review.' Thank you so much!**

**ENOUGH RAMBLING! But Seriously, I love you guys.**

** Love, Speckle. **


	3. Chapter 2

**Ender, Chapter Two**

The next morning, Ashley put her plan into action. She acted as normal as possible, and fought hard to keep a somber expression on her face. As soon as she could, she snuck off to the library.

"Gabrielle!" Ashley called, running into the library. "Gabrielle! Where are you?"

"Shh!" Came a voice from behind a tall bookcase. "Who's there?"

"It's Ashley!" said Ashley in a much softer voice. "Gabrielle, are you here? I need your help."

The raven-haired librarian emerged from behind a bookshelf, holding a stack of thick volumes that Ashley would never read, if she could help it. She smiled warmly.

"Hey Ash," she said softly. "What can I help you find?"

"I need books." Ashley replied. Gabrielle laughed. "Well I assumed so. You are in a library, after all."

"Well, I need specific books."

"On what?"

Ashley looked around, being sure that no one was around to listen in. "What have you got on the outside world?"

Gabrielle's smile faded. She placed the heavy books on a shelf, and said, "Follow me."

Ashley followed the other through the huge library cavern. The walked past the tall bookshelves, until they came to one that was carved out of the wall.

Gabrielle grabbed hold of a slim purple novel and pulled. A chunk of the bookcase suddenly swiveled around. A secret space was revealed. Gabrielle led Ashley through it. Ashley, who had read plenty of mystery novels, thought to herself, _what a cliché_.

The room was lit by a single, dim redglow lamp. There were _wooden_ bookshelves. Wood was extremely rare in the caves. The books on the bookshelves were thick, and advertised subjects like 'Astronomy' and 'Botany.' Ashley had never heard of any of them. Everything in the room was covered in a fine layer of dust, as if it hadn't been used in years.

'I've never been in here before," Ashley said, gazing at the books.

"Nobody has," said Gabrielle. "Only my father and I."

Gabrielle's father had been killed in a mining accident, three months before she was born. Her mother died in childbirth, leaving Gabrielle an orphan before she was a day old. The Chancellor, Chancellor Kramer, had adopted her, giving his two-year-old son Martin a new baby sister, and giving Gabrielle a home. When she talked about her father, she meant the Chancellor.

But her father was abusive and mean, to her and to Martin. Gabriele frequently took shelter in the library, which was her safe place.

The two girls sat at the dusty old table in the center of the room, brushing the dust off of the tabletop. Gabrielle began to speak.

"All of these books describe the Overworld." She said.

"The Overworld?" Ashley hadn't heard the term before.

"Yes. That is what these books call the world above ours." She paused to rub her nose with a pale, delicate finger. "Ashley, I can't just lend these to you, the way I can with a novel. You have to tell me why you need them, and it has to be an incredibly important reason."

Ashley paused to think. Could she trust the other girl? Gabrielle had never let her down before. Should she make up a reason?

"Ash." Gabrielle said calmly. "I promise, you can trust me."

"I'm going to find a way to the Overworld!" Ashley blurted. She bit her lip, anticipating a negative response from the other girl.

To her surprise, Gabrielle grinned. "I think I can help you with that."

Ashley spent the next week and a half pretending to be somber, while reading book after book from the hidden library. She learned about small bits of light in the night sky, called stars. She discovered a whole new world of animals, like ocelots, squids, and strange cows called 'moo-shrooms' that grew mushrooms on their backs. She even found out about other dimensions, the Nether and the End. Each volume brought a new crop of knowledge, and with it a stronger yearning to see the thing written about in the book.

But none of the books excited her as much as a slim blue journal, presented to her by Gabrielle fourteen days after her first time in the secret library.

"What is it?" Ashley asked, flipping gently through the brittle pages.

"It's the personal journal of the very first Chancellor," replied the other girl from across the table in the library-behind-the-shelf. "I found it in my house. There's a map of a tunnel to the Overworld in here!"

"Really?" asked an astounded Ashley.

Gabrielle nodded. "It's a total secret." She carefully opened the blue book to one of the last pages, where an ancient, hand-drawn map was displayed. It was a map of the caves; quite old and many of the modern passages were missing. But Ashley knew what it showed. Everything was familiar, except for a green passage labeled –

"_The Way Out_!" Ashley read, putting a hand to her mouth. The exit from the cave system was in the Grand Hall, which Ashley had never set foot in. It was only used when new Chancellors were appointed, and Gabrielle's father had been in power for Ashley's entire life.

It was decided that Ashley would leave the next night. Louise, who worked in the kitchens, would be let in on the plan. She could get Ashley food for the journey.

When they had finished planning, Gabrielle handed Ashley a blackened, ancient iron key. She said it was the key to the armory, and that Ashley needed to get herself a weapon. Ashley agreed, and went to pick a weapon.

The armory was little-used, for there were not many dangers underground. Ashley crept to the room, unlocked it quietly, and slipped inside.

The armory was a smallish room. Racks of swords hung along the walls, and more swords were piled on tables. Barrels of pickaxes dominated the corners.

Ashley had her pick of swords. They came in various materials; stone, iron, gold, and even a few rare diamond swords. They also came in different lengths. Because she felt bad about stealing from her people, Ashley took a stone sword with good balance and a blue leather grip. Stone swords were the easiest to make, and the least powerful.

She left, closing the door behind her quietly.

The next night, Ashley stole from the dormitory, silent as a mouse. She carried the stolen stone sword, which she had christened Elpis, after an ancient goddess of hope. The girl took one last look at her childhood home, and silently walked away.

The great iron doors of the Grand Hall were slightly ajar. Ashley tiptoed through the doors. The hall was impressive. It was huge, with tables and chairs made of wood with leather cushions strewn neatly about the room. It was carpeted in read wool, and tapestries dominated the lapis walls.

Gabrielle was already there, along with Louise and Jerome. The girls had told Jerome of Ashley's escapade, and he had come to help, and to say goodbye.

Of course they had to find the passage out first. After studying the map for a few minutes, Gabrielle decided that it was behind a magenta tapestry bearing the Chancellors' crest (two crossed golden pickaxes over a diamond.) Ashley, again thinking of her mystery novels, thought the whole thing was super cliché.

Jerome ran to the tapestry, ripped it unceremoniously from the wall – and swore. The girls ran over to see what was wrong, and gasped at the sight.

Ashley almost cried.

_The Way Out _had been blocked with cement.


	4. Chapter 3

**Ender, Chapter Three**

Louise acted immediately. She took one of the fancy chairs, heaved it over her head, and threw it at the cement wall. With a sickening, _CRACK!_ The chair shattered. The wall didn't even splinter.

"All right," Gabrielle began, sitting down at a nearby table. "At this point we have two options." She drummed her fingers against the tabletop. "First, we could get a hammer and chisels and hope to break through the cement before we're forty-six."

"And second?" Ashley asked, trying to hide her despair. She was crushed. Escape had been so close…

Gabrielle smiled one of her rare smiles. "Second, I could go get Bodil."

Bodil, or Martin as was his real name, was Gabrielle's adoptive brother. He was eighteen, two years older than Ashley. Bodil was a supervisor in the mines, so he had access to all of the mining supplies – including TNT, which he regularly took to feed his passion for explosions.

"Go get him," said Jerome. "Ashley has to leave soon if she wants any chance of escaping this place."

Gabrielle nodded, and walked out of the Hall to find her brother. The rest of them sat down at the table, and reminisced for a while.

"Do you remember when we broke that thing… what was it?" Jerome asked.

"It was a fish tank." Louise said, smiling. Ashley grinned. They had been ten years old, running to the library to see Gabrielle after school. Louise ran into Jerome, and he had gone flying into a fish tank, which shattered. Unfortunately, the punishment had been four days in the prison with barely any food.

At that moment, Gabrielle crept back into the room, followed by Bodil. His dark brown hair was spiked up, and he wore a pair of black sunglasses. He carried, for some reason, a small suitcase. Ashley had only seen suitcases used when people moved from cave to cave.

"So, let us blow things apart, yes?" Bodil said, grinning. He spoke in a strange accent. Gabrielle said it had been caused by a head injury in the mines.

"Yes!" Ashley said forcefully. Bodil laughed, a happy sound that made everybody want to laugh along.

He opened the suitcase, and removed a few sticks of TNT and a flint-and-steel. He lovingly placed the explosives in front of the cement, lit them with a spark from the flint-and-steel, and the five teens ran to the opposite side of the Hall as the wall exploded.

Half of the Hall was now in shambles. Bits of plaster and chairs rained around the group, but luckily no one was hurt. A dark hole had appeared in the wall – _The Way Out_.

Bodil took a look at Ashley, and gathered her into a hug. "You have always been like a sister to me." He said softly. "Good luck out there, and please do not die."

"I won't," Ashley replied, tearing up. Just then, they heard heavy footsteps, and yelling. "The guards!" yelled Louise frantically. Jerome shoved Ashley toward the hole. "Go!" He yelled.

"But you guys!" Ashley cried desperately. "They'll kill you!"

Gabrielle smiled grimly. "We'll fight through it."

The footsteps got closer, and Ashley could hear the angry yells of the guards. "Go!" shouted Bodil. Ashley took one last look at her friends. Louise's brown eyes shone with tears. Jerome wrapped an arm around her, and waved Ashley forward desperately. Bodil held a dagger – he clearly planned to defend himself and the others as best he could. Gabrielle smiled at Ashley nervously.

Ashley couldn't leave her friends like this. She wanted to cry. "Come with me!" she cried. Gabrielle shook her head. "We can't, not now." She said. "We'd all starve. But I promise, I'll get the others out of here as soon as possible. As soon as I can."

"The doors burst open. A dozen of the strongest, meanest guards charged into the room, diamond swords drawn.

Bodil threw his knife. It met its mark – dispatching a soldier - but more were coming at him quickly. "Go! Please!" Gabrielle cried, as three soldiers surrounded Jerome and Louise.

With a final sob, Ashley grabbed the basket of food from the floor, as well as Elpis, and launched herself into the tunnel.

Ashley had been in the tunnel for about two hours, she guessed. She'd cried for her friends until her eyes dried up, but she didn't feel any better.

It was dark in the tunnel, lit by dim Redstone torches (Redstone torches could burn forever, which was how they still worked.

Ashley walked briskly through the tunnels. So far no one had come after her, but she wasn't going to let her guard down only to get immediately ambushed. Eventually, she came to a granite archway. It was huge, maybe ten feet tall. Beyond it was a huge spiral staircase – with _wooden _stairs. Ashley allowed herself a small smile. She must be nearly there.

She didn't even see the pressure plate at the bottom of the stairs. Ashley barely avoided the arrows that shot out of tiny holes in the walls. But even though she was rattled, she continued up the stairs. They were steep, and Ashley struggled to climb. The staircase seemed to never end.

After a while, the stairs stopped. Another long tunnel stretched in front of Ashley. She sighed. She was getting sick of long tunnels. But her hope for and escape, and her sense of obligation (she had to do this, for her friends), drove her on. Ashley had a strong feeling that she was near the end of her journey. For one thing, the metallic smell of the caves was gone, replaced with a fresh, exotic smell. And the tunnel was made of slightly squishy dirt, not stone.

Despite her exhaustion and grief, Ashley ran to the end of the tunnel. It made a sharp left. And on the other side of the turn…

On the other side of the turn, the cave opened up, and ended.

Ashley smiled.

She was free.

_Gabrielle was shoved into the prison cell roughly, and the door was quickly shut behind her. She immediately turned and slammed into the door, using her whole weight to try and break it open. It held fast. Disgusting pests, Silverfish, scuttled around on the dark floor. _

_ She stayed in there for hours, trying everything she could to escape. Nothing worked. Eventually, a muscular guard, opened her cell door, and said "You have a visitor."_

_ Behind the man was her father. He wore his red robes, and his face was contorted into a false sad expression. "Gabrielle," he began. "Why would you do this to your poor Papa?"_

_ "Poor PAPA?" Gabrielle yelled, enraged. "You are NOT my father, any more than you are Louise's! You are an abusive freak who doesn't even know what it means to be a fathe-"_

_ "Silence!" Kramer shouted, his somber act gone. Gabrielle was quiet, but her rage continued to burn like lava. "You are in more trouble than you can possibly imagine, and you dare to yell at me?"_

_ "What have you done to Ashley?"_

_ "That runt? She was of no use to me anyway, and she's sentenced herself to death by going to the surface. It's YOU, and your idiot friends, who you should be worried about."_

_ Gabrielle's rage ebbed, and it was replaced by fear. "What will happen to us?" The man sneered. "Execution by lava in two months' time." Gabrielle's head reeled. A cold wave of guilt and grief washed over her. She choked up. No. _

_She had failed Ashley. She was going to die, and she had taken everyone she loved down with her. _


	5. Chapter 4

**Ender, Chapter Four**

Ashley emerged from the cave, sword in hand. The first thing she noticed was the light. It was almost blindingly bright, considering that in the caves it was always dark or dimly-lit. She blinked a few times, and the outside world came into focus for the first time.

It was the most beautiful thing that Ashley had ever seen.

She was standing at the edge of a valley. The ground was covered in a soft, green substance. Grass. It smelled nice. Ashley had never before encountered grass. Many types of flowers grew all around her. Using information from a botany book she'd once read, Ashley identified them; sunflowers, daisies, primroses, dandelions. A clear blue stream flowed gently through the valley.

The huge, flowery, grassy plain stretched for what must have been miles in every direction, except one. On the other side of the stream, a surplus of tall, brown plants grew together. These, according to the book, were called trees. Trees in a spruce forest.

After taking in the beautiful scenery, Ashley realized the fact that she was totally alone. The thought that there wouldn't be a settlement right in front of her when she emerged from the caves had never really occurred to her. She'd never once thought that she would have to search for a home.

She also was suddenly struck by the thought that she was not prepared. The only food in her basket was a few carrots and a loaf of bread. She also had a half-full canteen of water. A possibly pointless trek across an unknown world with unknown dangers would require much more than that. Where would she even begin said trek?

After a few moments of thought, Ashley decided to head for the forest. The trees would provide shelter, and maybe there were some edible plants in there. It would be better there than in the valley, in terms of survival at least.

Taking a deep breath, Ashley took her first, well-earned steps of freedom.

Eight days later, things weren't looking so good. Ashley's food supply was running out. The bread was long gone, and only two carrots remained in the basket. They were joined by five ripe strawberries, picked from a bush.

The forest was not as welcoming at she'd imagined it would be. It was pretty, sure, but so was a dynamite explosion in the mines. Beautiful things were often as deadly as they were gorgeous. She slept on the ground, when she did sleep. Usually she was just running from the unseen things that made the eerie noises. Usually, the nights were spent in a tree, watching for anything threatening that could harm her.

Ashley was starting to despair. She was going to die out here, in the very same beautiful and lethal world she'd pined for her entire life. And her friends were probably dead already, or imprisoned, because of her. She sat down for a rest, thinking of the caves. At least there, there had been food, and shelter. She was exhausted.

After a while, she began to walk again. It was getting late, and, she was hoping to find a place to sleep in safety. She took a sip from the canteen, which was very nearly empty.

When she'd been struggling along for an hour or so, it started to get dark. Ashley came across a fallen tree. It was hollow and looked big enough for her to crawl into. Sighing, and deciding that there was just no other option, she did just that, pulling the basket in behind her. The log wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as it looked. Soon, Ashley fell asleep out of pure exhaustion.

She woke up the next morning to the sound of a voice. It was soft and pleasant, the kind of voice that you could listen to for hours. _A rescuer!_ Ashley thought excitedly, and quickly pulled herself out of the fallen tree.

A tall boy was in the clearing, sitting atop a large black stallion. His hair was a shade of light brown, like caramel. His eyes were a deep brown, like the bark of the trees she'd been looking at for days.

"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously, eyeing Ashley from his seat on the horse. "I've never seen you in the village before."

_A village! I'm saved. _Ashley thought. "I'm Ashley." She replied. "I'm not from here." He raised his eyebrows, and so she told him how she'd gotten there, about the caves, about her lucky escape. He was stunned when she finished, but his only question was, "Don't you have a last name?"

_His people have __two__ names?_ "No. I'm just Ashley."

He grinned. "Well, 'Just Ashley,' you look like a damsel in distress. And I was taught to NEVER abandon distressed damsels." Ashley laughed, and so did the boy. He stuck out his hand. "Mitchell Donald Ralph Hughes, at your service, Call me Mitch." Ashley shook his hand. He helped her onto the horse behind him, and it began to move.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To my village." He answered simply.

Ashley had never seen a horse in person, only in pictures and books. But riding this horse was amazing. The wind blew in her hair. She laughed often. Mitch was smiling. Each time she laughed, he laughed too, and urged the horse to go faster.

After about twenty minutes, they entered a different kind of forest. A jungle, according to all of the books she'd read. The trees here were huge. Hidden deep in the jungle was a small community of buildings. They were made mostly of wood and stone, with gravel paths connecting them to a main road, made of cobblestone. People milled about everywhere. A few greeted Mitch as he rode through town. Each building was labeled with a sign. They said things like 'Blacksmith,' 'General Store,' and 'Fresh Dairy.' But there were no houses to be seen.

"Where are the houses?" asked Ashley. Mitch chuckled. "Look up." He replied simply. Ashley turned her head to the heavens, and gasped.

Up in the trees, camouflaged behind leaves and foliage, were about a hundred houses. They were made of many different varieties of wood. Bridges made of logs and vines connected the dwellings, and huge spiral staircases led to the ground and to tree-houses further up in the tree. The houses came in many sizes. Some were tiny, some were three stories tall. Ashley thought it was amazing.

Mitch led the horse into a large hollow in a tree, beneath a two-story house. There was a gate at the entrance. He helped Ashley down from the horse, and then gave the animal some hay. Then they left the hollow, shutting the gate behind them. The two stood outside the hollow for a bit. "Do you want to see the rest of the village?" Mitch asked.

Ashley smiled. "I'd love to."

A few hours later, Mitch had shown Ashley everything in the village. Her favorite part was when he took her to a cold building called a creamery, and bought the each a frozen dessert called an ice-cream cone, cookie dough for him, and German Chocolate for her.

"Okay, so you've seen almost everything," Mitch said, between bites of his ice-cream cone. "The only thing I have left to show you is the dragon stables."

"Dragon stables?" Ashley questioned. "Dragons don't exist!"

He smiled. "You wanna bet? Come on!" he shoved the rest of his ice cream into his mouth, grabbed Ashley's wrist, and began to sprint through the town square. "Hey!" Ashley yelled, as the remains of her German Chocolate treat splattered to the ground.

A few people stopped to stare as the tall, teenage boy pulled the protesting teenage girl through the village. Some of them laughed. Ashley continued to loudly protest as Mitch dragged her along.

Soon, Mitch skidded to a stop. They were now in front of a huge building made of obsidian. Two gray doors were in front of them. Mitch pushed open a door and pulled Ashley inside. The sight inside took Ashley's breath away.

It seemed at first that there was no roof to the building, but a closer look confirmed a glass ceiling. In front of them was a row of at least ten large stalls, each with a dragon inside. Each one had a sign with the dragon's name, owner's name, and breed. The sign above a white and periwinkle dragon read; 'Elsa, Morgan Townsend, Ice Dragon.' There were so many different colors and scale patterns. "Welcome to the Dragon Stables. Follow me!" Mitch instructed, and he began to walk towards the end of the row. Ashley followed, willingly this time. There was a long hallway at the end of the row. Ashley realized that there were many other rows to this so-called stable.

Mitch led Ashley down to the seventh row of the stable. This had a sign on the end of the last stall that read, 'Patrol Seven, 7/20 stalls filled,' and had a list of seven names beneath it. Mitch explained that there were people who rode dragons to watch for enemies and protect the community, and that's what that meant.

Ashley could only see two dragons, a golden one and a turquoise-and-blue one. Mitch led her to the blue dragon's stall. The sign above it read; 'Wisp, Mitchell Hughes, Aether Dragon.'

"Meet Wisp!" he said happily, patting the blue dragon's snout. Ashley was amazed, and she said hello to the reptile. Wisp was one of the most beautiful dragons she'd seen, and the only one who looked like this. She was a deep shade of aquamarine, with azure swirls on her cheeks and back. Here and there she was spotted with lemon yellow speckles. Her wings were large and majestic.

"How come there aren't more, er, Aether Dragons?" Ashley asked.

'Well, because they're really rare." Mitch explained. "There are actually only three in the stable, and all of them are in my patrol!"

He and Ashley talked for a minute about Wisp, and then he grinned. "Hey, Ash," he began. "Have you ever flown before?"


	6. Chapter 5

**Ender, Chapter Five**

Ashley's eyes were squeezed shut, and her arms were wrapped around Mitch's chest. Somehow, flying on a dragon was a lot scarier than it had seemed. Especially the whole 'maneuvering through the jungle trees' part. She could feel the beast gaining altitude. She was terrified that the leather saddle would snap midflight, and she and Mitch would plummet to an early demise. It unexpectedly jerked sideways, causing Ashley to shriek like a miner in lava.

Mitch, however, was completely fine. He laughed when she screamed. "It's okay." He explained. "Wisp was just avoiding a tree branch."

The terrified girl responded with a nervous whimper. Being raised underground, she had never experienced anything even remotely like this before. So when Mitch said, "You can open your eyes now," she did so quite reluctantly.

And she was glad she did. They were about two hundred feet in the air, but even so, only a few yards above the tallest tree. 'Jerry's Tree,' Mitch had called it.

Ashley could see everything. The forest where Mitch had found her was spread out on the horizon like an emerald green blanket. The meadow was a lime-green smudge to the far left, and its beautiful flowers were little more than colored pinpricks. The jungle was directly below her. The tree-village was tiny, and the people like ants. "It's beautiful!" she exclaimed happily. But at the same time she sadly thought, _Jerome would love this_. Then she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Something odd. "What's that?" she asked nervously. Could they be in danger?

Mitch apparently had a similar thought, because he went rigid. The thing in the distance came closer, and Ashley realized it was – what had Mitch called it? – a patrol. Mitch immediately relaxed. "Oh, those are just my friends." He said, relieved. The dragon in the lead, a muscular Aether dragon, was ridden by a boy with brown hair and black sunglasses. He held his hand above his head, with two of the fingers pointed up.

"That's the symbol for 'We're landing,'" said Mitch. "Hold on."

Ashley barely had time to throw her arms around him before Wisp went into a steep dive. Mitch pulled her up at the last second, landing them gracefully on the landing strip on the roof of the stables. "Come on," Mitch said, sliding off of the turquoise dragon. "We have to put Wisp back in her stall, and then we can come watch the patrol land."

And so, a few minutes later, they were back on the roof. Mitch explained to her how it would work. There was a captain, the first in command, a marshal, the second in command, and anywhere from two to twelve rangers. Rangers landed first, then the marshal, and lastly, the captain.

"Which are you?" Ashley asked.

"Ranger," Mitch answered.

At that moment, the first dragon went into the landing dive. It was a burly red Fire Dragon, and his rider had dark brown hair, sunglasses, and a brown leather jacket. Next was a deep blue Water Dragon, ridden by a boy with blue and orange hair in a gray suit. Next was a small, sleek Aether dragon. His rider wore a blue and orange beanie over his curly brown hair.

Next, Ashley remembered, was the marshal, a skinny boy with long auburn hair, wearing a white T-Shirt. He flew a skeletal Ghost Dragon expertly down to the landing strip, alighting on the roof effortlessly.

Lastly was the captain, the boy with brown hair and sunglasses who wore a black jumpsuit. He and his big, tough Aether Dragon hovered in the sir for a while. The rider appeared to be talking to his mount, and then he _stood up in the saddle_.

"Oh, no." Mitch said. He looked horrified. "ADAM, _DON'T DO IT!"_

The other boys on the rooftop joined in, yelling to their captain, "Don't do it!" and, "You're going to get yourself killed!" and things of that sort.

Ashley had no idea what was going on.

At least, until the boy in the black jumpsuit jumped from the dragon. Two hundred and fifty feet in the air, at least. It was certain death.

But then, the big teal dragon dove through the air, catching his rider perfectly and coming to a graceful stop on the rooftop. The other five boys immediately surrounded him, and told him he was crazy, and that he could have killed himself. The captain laughed at their concerns, telling them that he would have been fine. He gave each of them a pat on the head, and they all laughed. Then he saw Ashley.

And he grinned. "So. Mitch. In the six hours we were gone, you found a girl?"

Ashley felt her cheeks turning crimson. Mitch's ears were the color of beetroots. "No." he replied. "This is Ashley. She's… not from here."

"Well, where else could she be from?" Said the boy with the colorful hat indignantly.

And so Ashley told her story again, about the mines and the artificial light. She told them of the incredibly strict rules, and the severe punishments if you broke them. She told them of Gabrielle, Bodil, Jerome, and Louise, her friends. And she told the shocked boys of her escape, and her horrific time in the forest, and her rescue from it by Mitch.

Everyone was astounded, except Mitch, by the end of her tale. The boy in the hat spluttered as he tried to find a logical explanation for the story he had been told. He reminded Ashley of Gabrielle.

"Okay then," began the boy with the colored hair. "Now that we know your life story, we should probably introduce ourselves and our mounts. I'm Quentin," he paused to point at the Water Dragon, "And that's Mudkip."

"I'm Ian," said the boy with the leather jacket. "And my Fire Dragon's name is Furnace."

Next, the marshal spoke quietly. "My name's Ty, and my dragon," he patted the Ghost Dragon's snout, "is Shiver."

"I'm Adam!" the captain announced, loudly and over-enthusiastically. "And that large, intimidating animal is Sky!" Sky, the burly Aether dragon, was intimidating. Until he rolled over onto his back, with his tongue lolling out, the way Ashley had seen several of the cute, furry dogs in the tree-village do.

"Jason." Said the boy with the hat. "My dragon is known as Galaxy."

"Cool." Said Adam. "And you obviously know Mitch. So, Ashley, where are you staying?"

Ashley hadn't thought about it. "I'm not sure," she replied.

"Maybe she could crash on the couch in the den," Mitch suggested. "At least until we find her a place to stay."

"No, that's okay!" Ashley said sheepishly. She didn't want to inconvenience them if she could help it. She didn't want to burden these amazing, brave, carefree people who rode dragons and protected their people.

"Don't be stupid," said Ian, with a kind smile. "Of course you can stay at our house. And don't worry, it's not filthy or anything, thanks to Mr. Neat Freak here." He gestured to Quentin, who grinned.

"Now follow us." Said Adam, and the five led their dragons off to put them back in the stables. Ashley walked with Mitch. She was lucky to have found friends so quickly.

Later that night, Ashley and the boys sat at a dark-oak table in their kitchen, laughing and drinking hot chocolate. They exchanged stories as well. Ashley thought that this was the most fun she'd had in a very long time. Possibly the most fun she'd had in forever. After a while, she noticed that Jason had left the table. She asked where he had gone. "Oh, probably up onto the roof." Mitch had said.

Soon after that, Ashley decided that she was pretty tired. Telling the boys goodnight, she got up and walked into the living room to go to sleep. Just as she was drifting off to dreamland, a cool breeze blew gently through the room. It was coming from a large white door that looked closed. Ashley went over to check that it was closed. It was not, in fact, shut, but just slightly ajar. She opened it, expecting to see a porch or a deck. Instead, she was met with a long, dark stairwell, lit only by a small lantern hanging from a peg. Ashley's curiosity got the best of her, and she began to climb the stairs.

When she finally reached the top, she found another door. This one was painted blue, and it was wide open. Ashley could see that it led onto the flat, wooden roof of the tree-house. Someone was muttering. "Well the North Star is there… so where is Orion? It should be a bit over to the southwest… aha! There it is!"

Ashley walked timidly onto the roof. A huge purple telescope was set up ten feet to the left. Beside it, totally unaware of her presence, sat Jason, holding a much smaller telescope and looking at the sky. A huge book lay open on the ground next to him, an astronomy book. It had pictures of the stars and lots of words.

Jason continued to talk to himself, not knowing she was there. After a while, Ashley cleared her throat loudly. He jumped, dropping the small telescope. He turned around and saw Ashley. "Can I help you?" he asked irritably. Ashley remembered a question she'd wanted to ask earlier.

"Mitch told me that Aether dragons were really rare. How do you keep them from going extinct?" she asked nervously. Jason smiled, eager to share his knowledge with her.

"Well, that's easy." He said. "It all has to do with the mother. If two dragons of different breeds had eggs, the egg would be the same breed as its mother. So if a Fire Dragon had an egg, but the father was an Aether Dragon, the baby would still be a Fire Dragon."

"Oh. Cool!" said Ashley. "But how do you tell what breed the father was?"

"Each dragon," Jason began, "Has a band of scales around the end of its tail that was the same color as the father. With the Fire and Aether baby, the ring would be cyan, like an Aether Dragon. But if it was purebred, meaning that the father was a Fire Dragon, there would be no ring."

Ashley and Jason talked a bit more about dragons, until there was a loud crash of thunder, and rain came pouring down. Jason quickly grabbed the small telescope and the book from the ground, and the two ran into the stairwell. Jason closed and locked the blue door behind them, and they walked back down to the living room.

"Night, Ashley." Jason called, and he walked down the hallway to an orange-doored room and disappeared inside.

Ashley settled down on the couch and tried to sleep. But her dreams were plagued with images of Jerome, Louise, Bodil, and Gabrielle, being tortured or killed. She would not be sleeping well.

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**Hey guys! It's raining right now. I'm listening to a Linkin Park song, In The End, because I reminds me of Gabrielle. Sorry for the Monday update – I was super busy on Saturday, and on Sunday I was trying to get the next chapter done. I didn't manage it, so that's what I'll be doing tonight. HOMEWORK CAN WAIT!**

**Anyone who reads this story – NINE FOLLOWERS?! Legit? That's amazing! For me at least. Thank you guys for supporting me. I started developing this story back in… god… May! I had the idea when I was playing Minecraft Pocket Edition over Memorial Day Weekend, and I drew a picture of the story before I started to write. This chapter was the first thing I wrote, actually. I'm proud to call this story my own.**

**Hey guys. In any reviews you want to post, give me your theories on what's going to happen! Of course, I know, but I want to see if any of you can predict what happens! The next two or three chapters are going to be filler chapters, Chapter Ten is when the real action starts to kick off, I think. **

**Anyways, enjoy! And I am going to try to stick to the one chapter a week thing. I'm a procrastinator, so having a set schedule (And my friend, Sophia) Puts pressure on me and helps me get stuff done. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! **

**~Speckle**


	7. Chapter 6

**Ender, Chapter Six**

The next morning, Ashley woke to the sound of yelling. She jumped out of bed, and turned to get her uniform green dress from the chest by her bed – but found only a pillow. It took her a minute to realize that she was in Mitch's living room, and not in the girl's dormitory in the caves. She listened to the yelling voices, and recognized them to be Adam's and Ty's, not Marcus's.

"Adam, listen to me!" Ty cried desperately. Their voices were coming from the kitchen. Ashley stood outside the door and listened. Old habits die hard, she supposed – she had often eavesdropped on the guards in the caves, back when she was young and desperate for information. "There is something _wrong _with that thing! I – I can tell!"

''Ty, it's a _necklace_." Adam sounded exasperated. "What is it going to do, magically choke me to death?"

"Maybe!"

"Ty, there hasn't been magic in the jungle for two hundred years, and you know it. None of the Mystics are here anymore; they all left, remember?"

"I – I – yeah," Ty stammered. He sounded unsure. "But-"

"No, Tyler," Ashley hadn't heard anyone call Ty 'Tyler' before. "The amulet is staying with me, and that's final. Besides, even if it WAS magical, that would be literally the coolest thing ever. I could turn everything I touch into budder- gold I mean – and fly! Why do you care so much?"

"Because I – I -I mean we," Ty stammered again. "Because we can't lose you. The patrol, I mean. You're our leader and we look up to you. And what about Lyssa?"

Adam sighed. "Fair point. But I'm not taking the amulet back."

Ty seemed to suddenly flare up with anger. "You know what? Fine!" he yelled, and a bang followed. "If you want to take a risk that big, and possibly kill yourself, fine. I'm not going to stop you. But when something awful happens, and you wreck your life and the lives of everyone around you, **(foreshadow foreshadow) **I told you so." The kitchen door slammed open, almost hitting Ashley, who was still standing by the door. Ty stormed out of the room. Ashley noticed that his eyes were red – not puffy, as if he'd been crying (although he did look like he would break down any second,) but his actual irises were the color of ripe cherries.

Ashley stared for a second, but then entered the kitchen. Adam was sitting atop the pink granite countertop, sunglasses in his left hand. His other hand was running through his curly brown hair. He looked up – his eyes were golden, like butterscotch. Many girls would be captivated by their unique beauty, but Ashley preferred the more natural caramel color of Mitch's eyes. "Oh, it's just you, Ashley. I thought you were Jason."

"Are you all right?" Ashley asked Adam, and he sighed. "Yeah, it's Ty I'm worried about."

"What's eating him?" Ashley asked, sitting in a chair at the table.

"My amulet," Adam replied, fingering the amethyst that hung from his neck. "I found it at this pawn shop in the shady part of town – this kid in town, we call him Okward, dared me to buy something from there. The amulet looked pretty cool, but Ty is all creeped out by it. Says I should bring it back, that it gives him weird vibes or something."

"Oh." Ashley didn't know what 'vibes' or 'pawn shops' were, but she understood the gist of what Adam was saying. She suddenly remembered Ty mentioning someone named Lyssa. "Who's Ly-" Ashley was cut off by a loud thud from the hallway and a cry of "Ow! Who hit me?" Ashley and Adam walked briskly into the hallway. A sleepy-eyed Quentin stood there, soaked with water. He was rubbing his head. An empty bucket swung on a rope from the ceiling. Adam doubled over laughing. The other guys came out of their rooms one by one. The last one into the hallway was Mitch. His hair was messily swept to one side, and he wore nothing but a pair of blue flannel pants. He looked at Ashley, smiled, and walked over to stand beside her. Ashley felt a scarlet blush creep into her cheeks. Her heart fluttered.

"Okay," Said Adam, between gasps of laughter. "Who pranked the fish?"

"Fish?" Ashley asked, confused. Mitch smirked. "Quentin loves to swim," he explained. "When we were little, we used to call him a fish. The name just kinda stuck."

Jason said, "It wasn't me. Ashley didn't do it either, I guarantee it. And it wasn't Mitch. If he'd done it, the prank wouldn't have worked."

"True and true," Mitch laughed. "And it wasn't Ian, his pranks all involve cake." An exhausted Ian smiled.

"Wasn't me," Ty said quietly. Adam denied doing it too, and then said that it didn't make sense, "because the fish didn't prank himself." Some light-hearted arguing broke out, with Ian blaming Jason and Mitch saying that someone named Annie had probably snuck in during the night.

Amidst the fighting, a white door at the end of the hall opened. A girl walked out, yawning. She looked to be younger than Ashley, perhaps fourteen. Her hair was chocolate brown, but it had a streak of teal through it. It was cut choppily, as though it had been sheared off with a knife. Her skin was darker than the guys', like brown dust. Her eyes were blue. "Mornin' everyone,' She said sleepily. Adam looked at her with a relieved expression. "Hey Lyssa," he said, moving to hug the girl. She said, "Is it okay if I stay here for a few days? Dad –"

"Yeah! Yeah, you can stay. We'd be happy to have you." Adam cut her off. "Now go back to sleep. It's seven o'clock, and we're only up because we have patrol."

''Yes, mom," the girl joked. "And Quentin, I hope you enjoyed your shower!" She walked back to the room she'd come from, and closed the door behind her. As she passed, she gave Ashley a cold stare.

"Who's Lyssa?" Ashley asked, turning to Mitch. His smile suddenly vanished. He looked around, as if the girl's identity was a huge secret. "Come with me," he said, and Ashley followed him into a red-doored bedroom. Mitch's room.

"Lyssa is Adam's sister," Mitch began. "Well, half-sister. They have the same dad, different moms. Their dad – he's not the best dad, if you know what I mean." Ashley pictured Chancellor Kramer and Gabrielle. "Yeah, I know what you mean." She said. Mitch continued. "Adam ran away when he was twelve, he lived with Jason for a while. Lyssa was nine at the time, and she was stuck with her dad. She still is actually. But she runs away sometimes, and comes here."

"Oh. Okay," Ashley said. Mitch's face was tense and worried. He probably thought of Lyssa as a sister, Ashley thought. She'd seen how close the boys were. Wanting to change the subject, so as not to press the matter further, she asked, "Is there somewhere I could get new clothes? I can't stay in this dress forever."

"Oh, yeah!" he answered, smiling again. "There's a shop in the village, and a bathhouse if you want to clean up. Maybe Ian can take you? It's his day off from patrol today."

She grinned. "Great! Now, I'm going to go raid your kitchen. I'm rather hungry."

"Go ahead! I have to get dressed, and then patrol, ugh." He grimaced. Ashley laughed. Then she opened the red door and walked back to the kitchen, where Ian, Adam, Quentin, and Jason talked and laughed loudly. Ty stood off to the side, sullenly eating a yellow fruit called a banana. Ashley raided their cupboards, much to Ian's chagrin, and found a loaf of cheesy-bread. "I'm going to eat this," she announced, holding the bread above her head. "NOOO!" Adam cried. "My cheesy bread!" He pretended to cry, as Ashley laughed and began to eat.

Soon, Mitch entered the kitchen. He wore a black and red jacket and a white T-shirt, with jeans. He went over to Ian, and asked him to take Ashley shopping. He agreed, though he wanted nothing to do with the bathhouse. Ashley noticed that Mitch's brown hair was spiked up, much like Bodil's had been. She felt a pang of sadness. She wondered how her friends were doing in the Mines. Their executions were probably planned already.

Soon, the boys had to leave. They walked out the door one at a time, saying good-bye to Ashley and Ian as they went. Mitch was the last one out the door. "Bye, Ian," he said. "Bye Ashley." He turned to leave, but tripped and fell through the door. Acting as if it hadn't happened, Mitch ran down the stairs. His ears were red again, and Ashley's heart cartwheeled.

Suddenly, Ian grabbed her hand and pulled her through the open door. "C'mon!" he shouted happily. "TIME TO GO SHOPPING!"

**So yeah! Just so you know, the next few chapters are going to be mostly filler chapters. Around chapter eight or ten, the real action kicks off. There will be a bit of action at the beginning of next chapter. It involves Gabrielle. Get ready for a cliffhanger, my pretties! :D And thanks for all of the favoriting and following and reviewing. It means a lot to me! :D Hey, in any reviews you want to post, tell me what you think is going to happen! I would love to see your theories and such!**

**It is incredibly cold up here in New England, especially considering my pajamas. I insisted on wearing yoga pants and a Hunger Games T-shirt to bed, and I'm too lazy to change just yet.**

** On that random note, happy belated Thanksgiving! **

** Love, Speckle**


	8. Chapter 7

**Ender, Chapter Seven**

_It had been a long time since Ashley's escape, maybe a month and a half. Gabrielle could almost feel her life – and the lives of her friends and brother – slipping away like sand. The hourglass of her life was emptying quickly._

_ She had one friend in the cell – a baby mouse that lived off of any crumbs she dropped from her frugal meals. He seemed to like her, and he listened when Gabrielle talked. She called him Pontiki, because it was the Greek word for mouse. _

_ The door to her cell creaked open. Gabrielle grabbed the mouse and shoved him gently into her dress pocket. Her father was very strict about pest control, and Pontiki would be dead if spotted. She peered through the dark curtain of her dirty hair, and saw a tall guard in the doorway. She didn't know who he was, for his helmet covered his face. The guard walked over to the girl and pulled her roughly to her feet. Her hands were shackled, and he pushed her through the door. The guard shoved her down a dark hallway and past row upon row of prison cells. _

_ At the end of the hallway was a stone room. It was illuminated by a red glow. As she was shoved to her knees in the room, Gabrielle saw that the glow came from a large pit of lava in the center of the room. This was impossible! Her execution was far off… right?_

_ "No!" she cried, struggling against the guard. "I will not die this way! Let go of me!" She fought as hard as she could. But Gabrielle had never been strong. She was no match for the man. As if sensing her distress, Pontiki scrambled out of her pocket. He bit the guard on the tip of his un-gloved finger and held fast. As the man attempted to remove the mouse from his hand, Gabrielle saw that his eyes were brown and unlined. He was young, nineteen perhaps. Maybe he would spare her. Maybe he wasn't corrupted yet. Maybe he still had a heart. _

_ A foreboding laugh echoed through the chamber, as another man entered the room from a door at the far end. It was Marcus, second-in-command to Gabrielle's father. All of Gabrielle's hopes for survival vanished. Even if the young guard still had a heart, Marcus would make sure she died. _

_ "Well, well," Marcus said evilly. "The rebel girl. How's your life been? I hope you've enjoyed it, considering that you only have a few minutes of it left."_

_ "My execution is early Marcus," Gabrielle said, trying not to let her voice shake. "Explain."_

_ "There is no need for me to explain myself to a lowly ex-librarian," Marcus growled. "And now, your time has run out. Brandon, execute the prisoner. You have your sword… good. I've changed my mind. Behead her. The lava is too slow of a death. I want her gone."_

Brandon? _Gabrielle thought wildly. She knew this boy. Brandon – everyone called him Bashur – was Bodil's best friend. When she'd last seen him, he'd been a happy, fun-loving kitchen-worker. He must have been forced into his job. Bashur as she remembered would never want to be a government slave – a guard. _

_ Suddenly, a thought struck Gabrielle. Bashur didn't have brown eyes! His eyes were alley-cat eyes, one blue and one red-brown. _

_ "Brandon," Marcus said impatiently. "If you aren't going to kill her, I'll do it myself. You have ten seconds. Ten…. Nine…"_

_ The guard (who wasn't Bashur) took a deep, audible breath. _

_ "Eight… Seven… Six…"_

_ Gabrielle heard the quiet _chink _of a blade being drawn from its sheath. She took a breath, closed her eyes, and waited to die._

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Ashley stood in the Dragon Stables by Sky's stall, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. She wore a red blouse, jean shorts, and a pink hair bow (a bit frivolous, but Ashley liked it.) She barely contained her excitement. Today was her first dragon-flying lesson.

After a discussion among the guys, it had been decided that Ashley needed to learn to fly. Mitch had told her that if she learned quickly, she might even be able to help on patrols. The very thought excited her.

As Ashley stood, daydreaming about the dragon she might someday own, another girl rounded the corner and entered the row of stalls. It was Lyssa. Her teal-streaked hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. She wore a dirty white T-shirt, ripped jeans, and carried a metal pail. She stopped in front of the golden dragon's stall, across the way from Wisp. The golden dragon was Delta, a Desert Dragon, and she belonged to Lyssa.

Ashley and Lyssa had had several run-ins after their first meeting, but any attempt Ashley had made at a friendship between them had been coldly rebuffed. The younger girl seemed to be determined to live her life apart from the other people around her.

Then again, Ashley could understand why she would want to be alone. She remembered Gabrielle and Bodil; they had a hard time adjusting to society with their paternal demon at home. And from what Ashley had heard, Adam and Lyssa's father was worse than Chancellor Kramer. But she didn't give up.

As Lyssa polished Delta's scales, Ashley approached her. "Hi," she said. Lyssa glanced at her, but didn't respond. It stung, but Ashley tried again. "It's my first flying lesson today. Adam's teaching me. Do you know if he's a good teacher?"

"The best of the best." The response came quietly. Lyssa didn't make eye contact, but she said a little more. "He taught me everything I know, and I'm top of the class at school."

Ashley was thrilled. She'd gotten an answer! This was the first time Lyssa had ever responded to her, and she'd been trying to get her to talk for a month. Maybe a friendship wasn't impossible. "What's your favorite thing about flying?" Ashley asked tentatively. She wanted to keep talking, but she also didn't want to scare the other girl away.

Lyssa sighed, and put down the brush she'd been using to polish Delta's scales. The golden creature gave her an irritated grunt. Out of the corner of her eye, Ashley saw Adam walk into the row of stalls. "When I fly," Lyssa began, "When I fly, I'm free. I can get away from my problems for a while. I can outrun them and leave them behind."

Adam seemed utterly bewildered to see his sister talk to someone beside him and the guys. But he composed himself before he walked over to the two girls. "Hey ladies," He said jokingly, leaning on the gate to Delta's stall. The dragon, still upset, gave his finger a nip, and he screamed. Ashley tried not to laugh, and she saw Lyssa stifle a small smile. Adam, with a bleeding finger, looked at Delta and said, "Bring it goldenrod. Sky could outfly you any day."

"Is it time for my lesson now?" Ashley asked, suddenly remembering. The excitement crept back into her until she was bouncing again. Adam nodded. "You'll be riding Wisp today," he said. "Mitch was kind enough to let you borrow his dragon."

As it often had over the past week or so, Ashley's heart cartwheeled at the thought of Mitch. The two had been growing slowly closer over the past few weeks, and her silly schoolgirl crush seemed to have evolved into something more. "Great," she said fighting the blush that threatened to fill her cheeks with scarlet. "Let's saddle up!" she took to steps towards Wisp's stall, turned, and said, "How do you put a saddle on a dragon?"

Adam laughed. "Come here," he said, leading her to Sky's stall. "I'll show you. Then we fly."

0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -

A few hours later, Adam had taught her a lot. She'd learned how to saddle a dragon, how to take off, how to hover in the air. She'd even managed to fly almost two hundred feet in the air. The view from up there was really amazing. And Lyssa was right; up in the sky, all of Ashley's worries for her friends, her feelings for Mitch, even her fears of falling (which had been a major issue when she'd learned to take off,) had all seemed miniscule.

But she was thoroughly saddle-sore. As she put Wisp back in her stall and hung up the saddle, she found movement hard. All of her muscles hurt, and she couldn't walk properly. Adam assured her that she would get used to it. Ashley wasn't sure how he and the other dragon-riders managed to deal with this on a daily basis.

As she and Adam walked back to the house – she stiffly, he swiftly – Adam stopped on a deserted section of the road. She stopped as well, wondering what was wrong.

"I want to thank you," he said. Ashley was confused. "Why? Because I didn't fall off of the dragon and make you do paperwork?"

He smiled. "No, I want to thank you for trying to be my sister's friend. Nobody in the village seems to care about her, especially the girls at her school. She has a hard time with them." He paused, sneezed, and continued. "It's just nice to see someone who cares about her. She has trust issues, you know, because of Dad. Maybe you can help her get over that."

Adam turned his head to the sun, which was setting. The red light reflected off of his sunglasses. "Maybe you can help her to be happy again."

And with that, he turned and continued walking. Ashley was touched. It was amazing to see this – a brother who cared so much about his sister.

In the light of the red sun, Ashley thought she saw his amulet glow. It made her uneasy. But when she blinked, the glow disappeared. Ashley decided that she was just tired. It meant nothing. She turned, and followed Adam.

The uneasiness didn't go away.

**Hello again! Hey, I have noticed that a lot of times I don't get reviews on this story. It's not that big a deal, but it would be nice to get feedback once in a while. I also really want to know what you think is going to happen! Tell me please!**

**Until next weekend,**

** Speckle**


	9. Chapter 8

**Ender, Chapter Eight**

_Marcus's counting had reached three, and Gabrielle wasn't dead yet. This was odd. She cracked an eye open to see what was taking so long. "Two..." said Marcus. "One. That's it! I'm coming over there Brandon." Marcus drew his sword and began to walk towards Gabrielle. She knew this was the end. _

_ But then, something unexpected happened. The young guard behind Gabrielle leapt over her, holding a silver dagger. He wrestled Marcus to the ground. The other man fought back, and the guard's helmet was knocked from his head, revealing –her brother._

_ "Bodil!" Gabrielle cried, shocked. Her brother ignored her. He shook Marcus's hand from his wrist, and plunged his knife once, twice, three times in the chest. The tyrant lay still, and Bodil's chest was soaked in his blood. He looked up at his sister, and said, "Hi, Gabi."_

_ "Bodil!" she cried again, struggling to crawl over to him. Bodil ran over and freed her hands. She massaged her chafed wrists. Then she hugged her brother fiercely, ignoring the crimson blood that covered him. "How?" _

_ "Bashur," He replied. He was the guard who was assigned to bring me my meals. He heard about your early execution, and he told me about it. We created this plan so that you wouldn't die. Right now, he's getting Jerome and Louise. All of our supplies are ready-"_

_ "Ready for what?" Gabrielle asked. Her brother looked her straight in the eye. "For our escape, silly," he said. "Tonight, we run."_

_ Just then, they heard yelling from the door to the execution chamber. It was the guards - they were coming. "Come on!" Bodil said, grabbing Gabrielle's hand. He pulled her back the way they'd came, and they ran through the prison. At the end of the maze of cells, near the exit of the prison, the siblings found three people: Jerome, Louise, and Bashur. They were carrying heavy packs of supplies. Louise was crying. Jerome was holding her. "It's all right Lou," he said gently. "Bodil will get her out safely."_

_ "She's right here," Gabrielle said happily. Louise turned, and ran to her friend. "Thank goodness, you're all right!" she said, sobbing happily. "I was so afraid!" Jerome appeared at her side, smiled, and joined the hug. When they let go, Gabrielle turned to Bashur. "Thank you for this," she said, and he grinned. "No problem!" he laughed. "I'm not just gonna let your horrible father kill you like that!"_

_ They heard yelling coming from the prison, and Bashur threw Gabrielle and Bodil packs. "Time to go!" he said, throwing the door to the Town Hall open. The five ran through it, past many confused Miners, to the rich iron doors of the Grand Hall. Bodil quickly lit a stick of TNT that Bashur gave him, and threw it at the doors. "Get down!" Jerome yelled to the Miners, and everyone threw themselves to the floor as the doors blew up. Iron and lapis lazuli and stone dust rained down. Gabrielle could see The Way Out through the haze, unblocked. Kramer hadn't sealed it yet. "Come on!" She yelled to her friends, pulling Louise to her feet. "We're almost there!"_

_ The refugees ran into the Hall. Jerome helped Louise into the tunnel, and then clambered in after her. Gabrielle went next, and then turned to help Bodil. Bashur was last. When he entered the tunnel, he threw an explosive at the entrance. They ran down the tunnel, and Gabrielle saw the explosive explode, creating a wall of debris that sealed them into the tunnel._

_ She smiled. They were safe._

_0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000_

Ashley pinched her nose, adjusted the strap of her pink bikini top, and plunged into the water below her. She felt the soft mud of the lake-bottom below her toes, and pushed up. Her head broke the water's surface to cheers. "Not bad for a first cannonball," Quentin called from the weathered wooden dock, "But I can do better." He took a running leap off of the dock, did a double backflip in midair, and landed in the water with a tremendous splash.

It was a particularly hot day in the jungle. Luckily it was a Saturday, which meant that all of the boys had a day off from patrol. They had decided to go swimming. Ashley was very excited to participate in a cannonballing contest. So far Adam was winning, with the biggest splash. Quentin was in second place, with points for style. Jason and Lyssa sat on the sidelines. Jason was reading a book, and Lyssa was laying under an umbrella on the warm sand. Ashley swam over to the sun-kissed wooden dock and climbed up a ladder onto it. It was Ian's turn to jump, and then Mitch's. Ashley was after Mitch. She watched as Ian threw himself off of the dock. Mitch prepared to jump, but then turned around to face Ashley. "You know," he said, "We'd beat Adam's splash size if we jump in together." Ashley smiled. "Yes, I suppose we'd win," she said. "Let's do it."

He smiled and took her hand. Ashley blushed. His hand was rough with callouses from Wisp's reigns, but she didn't mind. Together, they jumped into the lake. The splash they mad was so big that it reached Jason and Lyssa on the shore. Jason sat up and started yelling about how they had ruined his book. Everyone laughed. "Take that, Adam!" Mitch yelled at his friend. Ian, Quentin, and Ty swam over to congratulate them on winning the contest. Adam pretended to sulk.

About an hour later, the sun started to set. Ashley and the guys waded out of the water and grabbed their towels which had been with Jason. They began to walk back to the house.

"Ashley!" Mitch called from behind her. Ashley stopped talking with Ian and turned to Mitch. "Could you stay here a minute?" Mitch asked. "I want to ask you something.

"Sure!" said Ashley. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up," she said to Ian. Ian nodded, and ran to catch up to Jason and Quentin. "What is it?" she asked Mitch. He seemed uncomfortable. He scratched his head and swayed a bit from side to side. Several times he tried to speak, but no sound came out. It was absolutely adorable. Finally he blurted, "You know that celebration that's coming up in a few days?"

"Yes," Ashley said, stifling a smile. The members of the tree-village were throwing a huge celebration in three days. It was called the Midsummer Festival, and it celebrated a bountiful growing season. "What about it?"

"Well, there's going to be a huge party as part of the celebrations," Mitch said, "And I was wondering if… maybe… you wanted to be my date? To the party?"

Ashley faked a look of confusion. "Date? What's a date?" she asked.

"Oh." Mitch looked like he wanted to die of embarrassment. His ears were red again. "Well…"

"I'm kidding!" Ashley smiled, putting a hand on Mitch's shoulder. "Of course I'll go with you!" Mitch brightened immediately. "Really?" he asked.

"Really." She replied. "Great!" he said happily. "So I'll see you then?"

"Mitch, we live in the same house."

"Oh. Right. Well anyway, it's going to be amazing! Besides the dance, there's going to be a big feast, and a couple of shows to see, and fireworks! And a dragon race!"

"Amazing!" Ashley said happily, "but we should probably be getting back now. It's getting dark."

The two walked home along the gravel path, in the light of the setting sun.

I am so sorry that this chapter is a week late! I was at a wedding last week and I forgot to type this chapter before I left! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!

The next chapter, with the dance, is going to be a cliffhanger, Just to let you know. Sophia, you're going to kill me aren't you? And Abbie? And Kenny?

Love you guys!

~Speckle


	10. Chapter 9

**Ender, Chapter Nine**

_ Gabrielle stumbled on a stray tree root. Her pack fell open, and apples spilled out over the ground. "Careful," said Bodil, helping her to her feet. Louise helped her pick up the runaway fruits._

_ They were walking through a spruce forest, late in the afternoon. The refugees had escaped the Mines three days before, and immediately headed into the forest. So far they had not been pursued by the Chancellor, but Gabrielle was still nervous. She was also exhausted. Her dress was torn and dirty, and her hair was a nightmare. Her arms and legs were scratched from thickets of thorn bushes._

_ They walked along in silence for another hour or so, until Jerome, who was leading them, held up a hand. The five stood at the crest of a hill, above a clearing. In the clearing were buildings, made of cobblestone. The wooden roofs of the buildings had now rotted. The place seemed abandoned. _

_ "Should we check it out?" Jerome asked, turning to his exhausted comrades. Bodil and Louise nodded. Bashur yawned, and then said, "Yes. We need a place to sleep for tonight." Gabrielle agreed. "At least we'll be sheltered, not like last night." She said. The night before, they had been caught in a rainstorm._

_ The travelers drew their weapons: Bodil and Bashur had diamond swords, Gabrielle and Louise had iron swords, and Jerome carried a rare diamond axe. They advanced cautiously towards the cobblestone city, expecting to be ambushed by angry villagers at any moment. Suddenly, a rotted wooden roof caved in. Louise screamed at the sight of what came out of the house._

_ It was a dragon, beautiful and horrible, to Gabrielle's surprise. She'd always thought that dragons were mythical. It was huge, as big the Town Hall back in the Mines. Its scales were emerald green, and it had spines of lime green along it back. It opened its mouth, revealing a blood red tongue and teeth as large and sharp as daggers. It spread huge emerald wings and flew off of the building, landing in front of Jerome. It stood on two back legs, and reached for Louise with its front talons. Gabrielle's heart hammered with fear. Was Louise about to die?_

_ No. "Get away from her!" Jerome yelled, bringing his axe down towards the dragon's claws. The creature pulled its claw back before it could be wounded, and turned its golden-eyed gaze towards Jerome. It gave him a look of curiosity and bewilderment, as if to say, _Why are you trying to hurt me, little human? _It warbled and poked its nose at Jerome, who dropped his axe in surprise. The dragon smelled him, and then rubbed its head against his chest, nuzzling him with its huge snout. _

_ Bashur laughed. "I think he likes you Jerome!" he said. Jerome nodded. "Maybe it does," he said nervously. "After all, I am very likeable." He patted the dragon's snout carefully, and it crooned happily, closing its eyes and rubbing its head on Jerome's hand._

_ "Well, now we have a dragon, apparently." Bodil said. "Time to make camp!" He adjusted his pack on his shoulder and began to walk into the abandoned city. "Let's try to find a building that's stable."_

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Ashley twirled in front of the mirror. Her strapless dress was made of a bright turquoise colored silk, and it hugged her slim frame. It fell in waves of aqua fabric to her toes, with a bubble hem so she wouldn't trip. Her hair was curled, and pulled up into a loose but elegant bun with sparkling hairpins. She wore simple silver heeled sandals. A bit of pink lip gloss, mascara, and some teal eye shadow and eyeliner completed the look. "You look amazing," said Lyssa. She had let Ashley join her in her room to prepare for the first night of the Midsummer Festival – the dance. Where she was expected to dance, with Mitchell Hughes no less – not that she was nervous.

"You look beautiful too," Ashley told Lyssa. Lyssa was wearing a strapless navy-blue taffeta gown. Silver sequins were scattered around the waist and the top of the dress, like patches of stars. The dress was floor-length, and it ended in a ring of blue fabric at Lyssa's toes. She wore a pair of silver flats. Her brown hair was curled, and pinned back from her face with sliver barrettes. The dress, Ashley noticed, brought out Lyssa's blue eyes nicely.

"Thanks," Lyssa replied, hugging her brown shoulders. Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door. "Are you two ready yet?" called Ian from the hallway. "We're all waiting on you." The two girls laughed, and then walked out of the room. They followed Ian down the hall, through the kitchen, and out onto the wooden porch high above the ground. The rest of the guys were waiting there, talking to each other. They each wore almost identical dark suits, Ashley noticed, although they each had a different color tie. Ian's tie was dark blue, Quentin's was orange to match his hair, Jason's was light blue, Ty's was lime green (a nice contrast to his red eyes). Adam wore his amethyst amulet over a royal purple tie. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses, so his golden eyes were visible.

Mitch looked up and smiled at Ashley as she came out of the house. His tie was red, and it almost seemed to enhance the color of his warm brown eyes. His hair was spiked up again, like he usually wore it. He walked over to her and offered her a bouquet of white tulips, bound together by a turquoise ribbon. "Thank you," she said, taking the flowers. "No problem," he said. "You look beautiful tonight." She blushed. She seemed to blush a lot around Mitch.

"Come on guys, let's get going," called Adam. "The party starts in a few minutes."

"Let's go then," said Jason, and the group began to walk down the wooden stairs to the celebration below. Mitch held her hand as they walked.

The jungle looked so different that night that Ashley felt she was in a different place. Green and gold streamers hung from the tree branches, along with twinkling little white lights. It looked like the stars had fallen from the sky and settled in the trees. At the center of town, a wooden dance floor had been built. Couples whirled on the dance floor, twirling and dipping or just swaying to the music. Colored spotlights – green, purple, and pink – swept across the crowd, turning the people blue, then gold, then back again. A blond boy with blue eyes was the DJ. He controlled the music.

The guys and Lyssa fanned out across the dance floor, joining people they knew. Mitch and Ashley continued along the sidelines, not dancing yet. "I'll be right back, Mitch said. "I'm going to get us something to drink." He walked towards the table with a huge cut glass punch bowl on it, filled with red liquid.

Ashley stood awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what to do. She noticed Ty, all by himself, leaning against a table. She went to join him.

"Why aren't you dancing?" She asked, leaning on the table. He was watching Adam dancing with a girl with pink and purple hair. He mumbled something that sounded like, "The person I want to dance with wouldn't want to dance with me."

"Do you like her?" Ashley asked, gesturing to Adam's dance partner. She wore a lavender dress. Ty looked startled. "Dawn? No!" he said. A lock of his auburn hair fell into his eyes, and a deep blush covered his cheeks. "No, I don't like her."

"Oh." Ashley said. Ty turned his attention back to Adam and Dawn. His expression, though he tried to hide it, was much the same as Ashley's expression when she looked at Mitch. A sneaking suspicion crept into her head. Quietly and casually as she could, she asked, "Do you like Adam?"

Ty looked as if his worst nightmare had just come true. He hurriedly said, "I have to go now!" before bolting away to the other side of the dance floor. Ashley was startled. She hadn't meant to insult him.

Jason, who was dancing nearby, noticed Ty and approached Ashley. "What happened?" he asked. She shook her head. "I don't know! He was watching Adam and that girl dancing, and it looked sort-of like he had a thing for Dawn, so I asked and he said no, but it was obvious he liked _someone_, so I asked…"

"…if he liked Adam." Jason finished for her. He sighed and put his head in his hands, muttering a curse word into them. "You guessed."

"So he does?" Ashley asked, concerned. She felt terrible. "I didn't know – I mean, I didn't mean to hurt him…"

"I know," said Jason, looking Ashley in the eye. "He… you can't tell anybody, okay?" Ashley nodded vigorously. "Ty has been keeping that secret for five years now. You _cannot tell anyone_. Not Mitch, not Lyssa, _especially _not Adam."

"Okay," Ashley agreed. Jason looked at her, and said one more thing. "I like you Ashley, but Ty is like my brother, okay? If you tell _anyone_, if you hurt him like that, I will _personally _hurt you sevenfold." And with that, he walked away. Ashley felt horrible.

A few minutes later, Mitch finally returned. He carried two cups of punch, giving one to Ashley. "Careful," he said as he handed it to her. "You don't want to ruin that beautiful dress." She thanked him and took a sip. It tasted like fresh strawberries.

When she'd finished her cup of punch, Mitch held out his hand to her. "Dance with me?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said nervously, placing the empty cup on the table behind her. "I'm not really sure how."

He laughed. "Believe me Ashley, I can't dance either. But it'll be fun to try!"

"Oh, all right," Ashley said, caving in. "One song. Then I'm done. " She put her hand in his, and he pulled her out onto the dance floor.

They danced for hours. Finally, the DJ announced the last song of the night. It was a slow song. Mitch took Ashley's hand in his. "May I have this dance?" he asked. Ashley smiled shyly. "Of course."

Mitch smiled. He put his hands on her waist, and pulled her closer to him, although not so close that they were touching. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and they swayed to the music.

"Is it windy tonight?" Mitch asked quietly, a smirk on his face. "Because you just blew me away."

Ashley feigned insult. "Mitchell," she said, looking him dead in the eye and trying to hide the pink glow that threatened to escape onto her cheeks. "If you expect me to continue dancing with you, you'll have to drop the pick-up lines."

He smiled his eyes sparkling with amusement. "All right," he said. "I'll try something more forward." He didn't say anything for a moment. They continued to dance as they had before. Their eyes met again, and she noticed that there was a tiny bit of gray mixed in with the caramel brown.

He leaned in, and their lips met. Fireworks went off in Ashley's head. She closed her eyes and threw her arms around his neck – his hands were in her hair, pulling out the sparkling pins one by one. Her brown hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. The pins clattered to the floor. Ashley had never felt this giddy.

But then she heard the screaming. Mitch heard it too – they broke apart. It was Ty screaming Adam's name. Adam himself had fallen onto the floor – he was twitching and spasming horribly, and Ty and Jason were beside him, calling to him frantically. Lyssa ran past Ashley in a blur of blue, falling to her knees beside Adam, crying out to him, screaming his name. Tears ran down her cheeks - Lyssa, who kept her social mask so subdued that you could never guess what she was feeling. Ashley looked at Mitch – she saw the concern and fear in his eyes for Adam, his friend, his brother. Together they ran to his side. Ashley sat beside Lyssa, who wrapped her arms around Ashley and cried, "What's happening? Why won't he answer me?" But Ashley couldn't answer, she was as afraid as Lyssa was. Quentin and Ian ran for help, away from the dance floor. The music was still playing, and the colored spotlights kept dancing – they seemed so out of place, mixed with the shrieks of partygoers.

Suddenly Adam stopped moving. The spotlights stopped moving, leaving Adam in a circle of yellow-gold light. The amulet at his throat glowed bright purple. His eyes opened. _No, _Ashley thought. _Not again._

He had no pupils or irises. His butterscotch eyes were gone, replaced by blank eyes that glowed white. He sat up, smiled viciously, and laughed in a deep voice that wasn't his own.

"_Fools," _he said, in the same voice Natara had spoken in almost two months before. _"Soon you'll all be dead."_

**DID I CLIFFHANGER YOU ENOUGH?**

**That chapter was fun to write, except for the Skylox part. That made me sad. Poor Ty. It was also the longest (2,396 words if you count this author's note!) By the way, if you are not comfortable with Skylox (Adam **x **Ty), then you may not want to read the rest. It will not be a major part of the plot, but it will be important. **

**Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, whatever you celebrated I hope you had fun and got cool stuff (I got a lightsaber and tickets to Pax East! :D). Also Happy New Year!**

**Please review on what you thought of the kiss between Ashley and Mitch. That was the very first time I ever wrote a kiss scene. I escalated quickly, huh? One minute they're kissing happily, the next minute their friend is being posse- wait. It's better if I don't tell you what happens to Adam.**

**If you have theories on what will happen in the next few chapters, let me know in a review (or a PM, if you are not a guest.) I love to hear what you guys think of this story!**

**Happy 2015! **

** Love, Speckle**


	11. Author's Note: Notebook

**Hey guys. I'm sorry this isn't a chapter, but I have some bad news.**

** Here's what you need to know. **

**So, before I type and edit all of these chapters of Ender, I write rough drafts of the chapters in a notebook that I have. Usually these rough drafts are written in many, many different colors of gel ink. This notebook is usually in my backpack when I'm not using it.**

**The other thing you need to know is that I am an avid drinker of Snapple peach tea. Sometimes the bottles of tea are also put in my backpack when I have taken a few sips but I need to put the tea away before class starts.**

**Which of my lovely readers put two and two together and figured out what happened?**

**If you didn't, here's the deal. My Snapple was in my backpack today and it leaked all over what I had in there. This includes the notebook. The rough drafts of Chapter Ten and a scene I was preparing for Chapter Twelve have been reduced to lime green and purple stains, some of which I cannot possibly read. It is going to take me a week AT LEAST to copy what I can from the notebook and rewrite what I lost. I say at least because I have two HUGE math tests and a Language project to juggle with after-school activities and my mom's work schedule. I MAY have time to do this on the weekend, but with my luck I won't. **

**As for everybody who just started to panic, DO NOT PANIC. Ender WILL CONTINUE, it just most likely will not be posted on Saturday. Also, I am very sorry for this Author's Note posing as a chapter. I really didn't want to post an AN without some of the storyline to go with it, but seeing as I have nothing to post, this had to happen.**

**Once again, I am SO SORRY for the inconvenience. I will do my best to get Chapter Ten up soon. **

**ONE MORE THING**

**I just hit 20 followers (?!) on my story, and I want to do something special. What do you think? Do you guys want me to? If so, here are some options.**

**I could finish my terrible story The Light and The Dark, which I left at a cliffhanger and never completed.**

**I could do a prompted one-shot, where someone PMs me with an idea and I turn it into a story and post it. **

**I could get a DevientArt (I was looking into this anyway) so you guys can see the picture that I drew of Ashley and Mitch before a single word was written. Thanks to that picture, this story exists.**

**I have a chapter from a story I didn't end up posting. It is a Team Crafted fight scene, where they all gang up on a guy who beat Ty up and put him in the hospital. A friend of mine, I'll refer to her as Cherry, wrote it for me.**

**Anyways peeps, good-bye, and once again I'm sorry. I hope you have a good week and a better weekend!**

** Love, Speckle**


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